


You've always been fond of the stars

by Thunder_Jake



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 20:29:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18289676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunder_Jake/pseuds/Thunder_Jake
Summary: Death, loss, grief- these things never get easier as time passes.However, Mimi seems to be taking it quiet well.That's what scares him the most.





	You've always been fond of the stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rossollinss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rossollinss/gifts).



> This one is for you mysterious zoe!

"Mimi?" No answer. Normally, Bow would have left and come back later when it's sure that his little doll needs sometime alone. 

This is not one of those times.

"Dearie? It's Papa. Can I come sit with you?" Bow lowers his hands and waits. Then sure enough, from the treehouse a voice timidly replies. "Yes..." 

Getting up to the their "Super secret classfied hideout", as the squad likes to call, was an easy feast for Bow. When Desi first proposed the idea, there was next to no room for argument. And even though he hadn't finished processing the plan, one look at the little girl's hands clasped tightly around his own plus the double assault by the puppy dog eyes had immediately sealed the deal. 

Honestly that was just unfair. 

Try as he might, he knows he couldn't refuse Mimi anything. And so with the strength of an 1 man army, he got to work; while in the meantime, Desi taught Mimi how to operate a chainsaw. She said it was just in case, that she wouldn't give it to her even if she asks very nicely, but the look in their innocent eyes told him they had already had their finger crossed. 

Bow heaves a quick sigh as he reaches the house. 

Ever since then, Mimi has taken to the place like a house on fire. She stores all kind of gimmicks, little knick knacks either given to her or found on the street. They seem to matter a lot to the little one, so Bow leaves them at that. 

There, on the floor looking out the window sits a little girl in an oversized hoodie, her bang and the 2 pigtails heavily cover her small face, leaving little to read what was on her mind. She was fidgeting with the end of her skirt, expression a carefully blank one. 

Something seems wrong.

Bow sits down near Mimi and follows her gaze. "It's a beautiful sunset..." He complimented. The little one doesn't move from her spot or redirects her attention. She just nods. Bow feels his heart shattered. 

"Little one." Bow tried again. "May i ask why you left so absurdly? I thought you liked dress-up shows?" He has been mindful of Mimi's "alright"s and "absolutely hell no"s, and nothing from this one particular harmless show seems to fit the bill. So what gives? 

"I just don't like the performer..." Still slumped against the wall, Mimi quietly replies. That makes Bow's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Mimi isn't exactly fond of the electric rodent clan, that's one thing, but he has never heard her mention any bad blood with the Dittos. 

"Why, may I ask?" Mimi doesn't answer right away, but she finally, finally, looks at Bow for the first time since he got here. Instead of an answer, she asks again, her voice hollow still. 

"Do you remember how you found me?" 

Oh how can he forget. It was such a chaotic day, Desi was frantic, and in all his time of knowing her, he has only seen her losing her cool once. Voices calling him in distress, waiting for his instruction. But his eyes trained on the little beaten up form of a child -his child, Mimi. His healing magic was hardly a sufficient alternative for proper hospital care, but Bow was all she got. 

He was all she got.

"It has not always been that way..." Mimi's voice broke his train of thought, bringing him back to reality. Bow purses his lips and listens. "Before you found me, I had had a caregiver. Their name was Dot, from a ditto family." She giggles a bit, the sound was in an empty tone, gone just as quick as it came. "They didn't have much. They barely stayed afloat with the packed schedule and constant moving. But they made me so happy. I like to think their selflessness and love for dressing up passed down onto me."

She brings her arms around her torso and curls up further into a ball. So that's why Mimi was so fond of the hoodie and didn't speak to Desi for a whole day when she commented on how ragged it look, and, god forbids this, suggested she change out of it. In hindsight, it makes so much sense to Bow. 

When Mimi doesn't continue, Bow sucks in a deep breath and goes on instead. "Where are they now?" It's not right to pry, but everyone needs a little push every once in a while. 

If it was possible, Mim looks even smaller. "They left." 

The sun has long since set by now, leaving the 2 of them in the darkness with the constant illuminating stars as company. Bow sits up straighter. He doesn't know what to say. Mimi took it as a cue to keep talking. "One day they fell ill. They tried to hide it, but it was hard to hide the blood stain on the sink." It is impossible to see her expression now, she looks so small. So defeated.

"Then one day." Her voice cracked.

"Then one day..." She tried again.

"They died." 

Bow is surprised by his own slip up, but Mimi only offers a weak nod. 

"I thought it was one of their "play dead" trick that they didn't inform me beforehand. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't cry or speak. So I climbed on the bed and lied beside them. And kept hopimg like a naive fool that they would wake up and said it was just a trick. Then I would be upset at them but then we would make breakfast together..." Her fists ball up. "But at the end of the day, there was siren outside the house. A group of people in white broke into our house and took them." 

Mimi looks up with teary eyes, it breaks Bow's heart for the second times this evening. 

"They took them away, Bow... they took Dot and I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream at them. But I didn't do any of that. In a midst of chaos, I turned on my heel, a...and I ran." 

Seeing fat tears falling at an alarming speed, Bow scrambles over and holds his little doll as tightly as possible. He thinks he might be suffocating her, but sensing how Mimi is clinging onto him like a lifeline, Bow leaves it be. 

"It- It was all my... my fault, wasn't i-it?" Her voice turns into above a whisper, nearly shouting. "They were doing just fine before I- I came along! And now they are gone! And I- I... left them..." Mimi's body grows slack as realization hits her. "Oh I... left them... when they need me the most..." 

Hearing enough, Bow lightly strokes her messy hair and shushes her. She either has no strength left to protest or has just accepted it. 

After a while, he finally speaks. "Little one, it was no one's fault, so don't blame anyone ok?" He pauses a bit, Mimi still remains silent, but he can tell she's not buying it. "I believe that, no matter how short lived it was, your presence in their life was a blessing to them." Pushing her away gently, Bow booped her on the nose. "Because no one can be sad when this adorable little face is around." 

She giggles, it sounds way less hollowed out than before. "You would be surprised." Bow playfully scoffs. "Oh don't you dare sass me young lady, not when I'm trying to have a moment." 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Mimi wipes her eyes and leans against her parental figure again. "Please continue." 

"Now before I was so rudely intruded..." Another giggle, he is on fire! "Sometimes people leave, and it is nobody's fault. Maybe because they are needed elsewhere, that doesn't mean all the precious memories you made suddenly turn meaningless." Giving Mimi a light nudge, he continues. "I am sure that Dotty loves you very much Mimi... and if given a chance, they would trade everything to spend more time with you." 

It seems to be the right thing to say, because the little one looks deep in thought. "They didn't deserve it..." Mimi concluded. And for what it's worth, Bow agrees. "Bad things happen to good people sometimes." 

"It just isn't fair..." 

"Yeah... you're right..." Bow breathed, closing their eyes. Their arms are still around Mimi in a protective hold. 

"Sometimes... If I listen closely enough, I can hear Dotty laughing among the stars." Mimi turns her head towards the window. "They have always wanted to make it big. They said they would bring me with them too. Because I was their "Little star"." 

Bow followed her gaze again. "It looks like they made it after all..." A proud smile paints his face when Mimi finally laughs. 

"Yes! I suppose they did!" Comfortable silence settles in, until- "Do you think they are still watching over me?" 

Bow doesn't consider himself to be religious. He knows that faith is important to other people, and he leaves them be. But faith didn't protect him on the battle field. And faith won't shelter the little one from the harsh reality. 

"I think they are." He decided instead. "It would bring me great comfort to know for sure. But it will be what I choose to believe. Maybe Dotty here was the one who guided me to you after all." 

"You want me to... look at the stars and make believe?"

"Whichever it is that brings you peace." Bow smiles kindly at her, and she returns the gesture. 

"I do suppose..." before either of them could continue, Mimi's stomach protests. Loudly. 

"Oh gosh we have been here for a while!" Being an amazing guardian that he is, Bow tactfully avoids the teasing. "Let's go back home! I'll make you your favorite, anything that you want!" 

"Even brownie for dinner?"

"Almost anything that you want!"

Mimi gives Bow a challenging look, before they breaks out laughing. He can work with this, even if Mimi comes with more baggage than he ever expected, even if he has his own severe issue to work through, he knows that he's got her back.

And she's got his, too!

*~*~*~*

"Hello... people who don't live here..." Bow resists the urge to facepalm, it's way too late to handle more shenanigans. 

"Heeey!" Lying on the couch upside down is the infamous Destroyer, Desi. Legend had it that she has once broken into the glass clan's territory and consumed every single drop of honey in existence. But no one can either confirm or deny the tale. And no one really wants to mention it. 

"We ran out of chips." That would be Whisteria, hugging a bag of potato chips to her chest. Bow could have sworn he double locked the storage. 

"Indeed, Bow, do not be stingy!" Sato chimes in. Eyes never leave the book, even Doll nods. What's the point of having friends from the royalty line when all they do is munching off his stuffs. 

"Desi." Bow decides to address the largest thorn on his side. "Legs off the couch please." 

"Oh come on Bo!" Desi whined. "Mi casa es tu casa! Show a buddy your limitless generosity, will ya? What am i gonna get if I don't sit correctly anyway?" 

"On my nerves." Bow mutters darkly.

Patting his side, Mimi puts on a sweet smile and approaches Desi. "Desi I think you really need to put those feet down!" 

"What, your papa is affecting you too?" 

"No. But if you keep stressing Papa out, I will tell Miss Doll that you said the sun shines out of her ass!" 

"Huh? Somebody said my name?" That did the trick. Desi does a full backflip and kneels before Mimi. 

"Haha. Ah... I thought we had an agreement." Her eyes are dangerously lit. Yet Mimi stands her ground.

"We did. But you're not keeping your end of the deal by taunting Papa's blood pressure level." 

They enter a small staring contest, neother os willing to back down. Finally, Desi grins. "You have learnt so fast. Alrighty." 

Turning back to the room, Desi loudly announces. "Ok who wants Italian? Doll is paying y'all!" 

A chorus of "Yes!" shook the house, drowning out Doll's surprised yelp.

All is well in the world. For now.


End file.
